Everyone likes food, food nourishes and is vital for survival. Nowadays with growing technological food ordering and delivery apps, buying food is a piece of cake. Also, the myriad of cooking channels on youtube and TV shows make this art of cooking and food even more interesting. People love food and the joy it gives. On the other hand, have we ever thought about the wastage of food?
Wastage of food is a big issue that people are not aware of. The repercussions it creates may lead to food scarcity. On a daily basis, a humongous amount of food has been wasted. As a responsible human, what can one do to reduce wastage? It is high time that people started to act upon it. We live in a global situation where saving what we have is vital. Covid-19 has come as a wake-up call for many of us to understand the stark reality in a better light.
What are the major factors that lead to wastage of food?
Overcooking food and piling it in the fridge is one of the factors that lead to more wastage. If you check the amount of food that you waste, you also waste money, food and other valuable resources along with it.
Also, hoarding excessive groceries leads to excessive wastage. Panic shopping of excessive food items will also lead to a lot of waste. Open your fridge and see the leftovers of yesterday. It is not about money anymore, a person might have enough money to buy groceries and other items, but what about the amount of resources that got wasted? Imagine if this was a case in one household, how will it impact the resources that get wasted for an entire street.
People should grow responsible and do something about the excessive cooking and hoarding of food items. Reducing the number of leftovers can help you save money and resources for others. Times like covid-19 pandemic prove that even when we have money if we run out of resources we can’t buy anything. It is the right time to act responsibly to reduce the wastage that we create on a daily basis to create a better tomorrow.
In addition, production trials that happen in the industries also lead to a lot of wastage. A lot of resources get wasted in the production phase. Industries should work closely in reducing the wastage that happens in the trial runs, packing defects, quality checks, and so on. Rejecting food for the wrong size, weights and blemish has to be limited in order to reduce the wastage.
It is disheartening to know that a huge amount of food is getting wasted in food processing and distribution stages in the industries. A lot of vegetables are rejected and wasted only because of the fact that they are not in the size expected or blemishless. Even if a vegetable is ugly it saves the purpose of feeding you.
Also, shops buying and storing excessive food materials for selling will contribute to the expiry of products. Failure in stock management in the stores leads to a lot of waste of resources that could have been a life-saving resource for other businesses.
Besides, Over preparation food prepared in restaurants and eateries also leads to the wastage of food. Expecting more customers for the day and not meeting up the expected sales contributes to a lot of wastage.
What can be done to reduce the wastage that happens in the industry? With the help of efficient technology, like food ordering and delivery software, businesses can monitor the requirements needed and work closely with the inventory in checking the expiry of the products. Similarly, restaurants can monitor the workflow by improving the system that reduces the wastage of the food served on a daily basis.
Additionally, it is important for every individual to have a conscious decision not to waste food. If every person decides not to waste food it will create a good impact. Some say if you want to change the world, change yourself. By realizing our priorities at home, shops and production centers we can truly make a difference in waste management.